Mail-cabrikr-dischargiwg crubt



A. LUTSCHG.

MAIL CARRiER DISCHARGING GUN.

APPLICAION HLED NOV. 2?. 19'18- Pntented .Tune 24, 1919.`

mmv. n. c.

A. LUTSCHG.

MAIL CARRIER DiSCHARGING GUN.

APPLICAION FILED NOV. 27.1918- A Patented June 24, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gum/1to1 16% fZa/JZQOZJ@ vide improved means for connecting a mem-`Annoiin nu'isciie, or GBEATBEND, KANSAS.

MAIL-CARRInR-nrsonnneine eruiv.`

specification of Leiters-raient. Patented June 24, 1919,

Appiicanon inea November e?, 191s. serial No. 264,431.

To all eolzomz't may concern.' p

Bei it known `that I, AnNoLD Lu'isoiie,` a

`citizen of the United States, residing at Great Bend, in the county ofBarton, State of Kansas,.have invented a new and usefulMailCarrier-Discharging Gun; and Ido hereby declare the following to bea full,

clear, and exact description of theinvention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same. i,

. This invention relates to the art of mail carriers for ruralroutes,for carrying the `inail from the road-way to the house, and

more particularly to an improved mail carrier discharging gun, one tobelocated` at the road-way and another at the house on the porch orothersuitable location for discharging' the carrier in either direction,that is from either end of track-wire or trolley. @ne of theobjectsoftheinvention is to provide a housed frame having guide tracks, and a springteiisioned carriagemounted on the guide tracks and a holding latch forholding the carriage while under tension of its spring, whereby as theholding latch is released, the carriageis actuated by a spring, fordischarging the carrier from under the housing either toward the houseor toward the road-way, along which the mail man passes. r i. y y

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind7for sending the mail either to the road-way or to the house, therebypreventing the inail man from tramping from the road-way to the house orthe occupantsfrom the house to the `roadway, `when delivering or sendingmail matter. r A further object of the invention is to pro-` ber of themail carrier to theholdinglatch.

A further objectof the invention is to` provide an improved mail carrierreceiving` carriage, which is under spring tension, for discharging themail carrier. 3.

A further object of the invention is the provision ofincushioning meansat the` forward ends of the guide tracks of the housed frame, forcushioning the carriage, thereby relieving the jar or the force of theblow incident to the discharge or release of the carriage.

In practical iields the details of construc plan. i

tion `may" necessitate alterations falling within the scope of whatisclaimed.

`The invention comprises further features and combination of parts ashereinafter set 1 forth :shown in the drawings and claimed.

` In thedrawingsz Iiigure l isa vertical sectional View through theinail carrier :discharging gun,

showing parts `thereof in` elevation. y

F1o'. 2 is a longitudinal sectional .view on line 2 2 of Fig. l,showing` various parts in Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective Viewof portions of the parallel guide tracks of thehoused frame, and theimproved carrier discharging `carriage mounted on the tracks. i Fig. 4is an enlarged detail perspective View ofthe forward end of one of theguide tracks, showin@` the cushioning bumper for the carriage. .r i

rig. 5 is a sectional View on line 5-5 of Figli..` r

Referring more especially to the drawings, `l and 2 designate` forwardand rear supports, which are provided with laterally and downwardlyinclined legs 3, the feetof which are designedto be fastened to suitableanchoring means, adjacent the roadway gate of the farm, or on the porchof the house back `from the roadway. The `upper parts` ofthesuppoi'ts 1and 2 are provided with laterallv `and partially upward curved arms l,for the support of the housed frame. Side tracks 5 and 6 are providedand which are` in parallelism.` The side tracks each comprises the upperand lower T rails 7 and 8, whichV are spaced, `whereby the legs of theTs face each other, there being metal loop straps 9 straddling the railssidewise, and having their ends secured at l0 to the upper and lowerfacesofthe upper andlower rails, thereby holding the rails spaced. Theends of the arms i of the supports are secured in Y any suitable mannerto tlie forw ard and rear metalliclooped strapsQ, thereby firmly` sup-`porting the guide tracks in `parallelism as shown in Fig.;2. Thesemetallicl looped straps areprovided` with outwardly extend-` ing ears11, oiri which the elongated frame outwardly extending longitudinallydisposed flanges 14, which rest upon the frame bars 12, there beingsuitable means such as rivets or the like 15 passing through the flanges14 and through the bars 12 and the ears 11, thereby insuring arigidstructure or framing and reinforcing the housing. In order toadditionally strengthen or reinforce the arch shaped housing, suitablearch shaped straps 16 arev riveted or otherwise secured at 17 to theinner face of the housing, as shown clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Thelower side portions of the braces 16 are provided with laterallyextending lugs 18, which, by means of rivets 19, are secured to theframe bars 12, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, said rivets 19 also passingthrough the elongated iianges 14. l

A carrier receiving and ldischarging carriage 20 is provided. Thiscarriage is likewise archshaped, comprising the arched bars 21, whichare spaced apart as shown, andto which a suitable thin sheet metalhousing 22 is secured in any suitable manner, as shown in Fig. y1, saidhousing 22 in Fig. 2 is broken away, in order to show the structureVthere below; The lower side portions of the arched bars 21 of thecarriage 20 are provided with 'laterally extending reduced stems orpintles 23, which extend between'the spaced Ts of the upper and lowerrails of the guide trac-ks, there being'anti-frictional rollers 24journaled upon said stems or pintles, and designed to engage between thelateral anges of the upper and lower rails. Suitable cotter pins 25 passthrough the extremities of the stems or pintles, to hold the outermostantifrictional rollers or wheels on the stems, thereby consequentlyholding the stems between the rails and the other anti-frictional wheelsin place. The lower portions vof the foremost arched brace of thecarriage are provided with karms 26, the forward extending lugs 27 ofwhich engage between the Ts of the upper and lower rails, therebyconstitut-ing bumpers, as will hereinafter appear. Extending from andintegrally connected to the inner faces of the sides of the archedbraces 21 ofthe carriage 'are upwardly and inwardly protruding arms 28,to the inner downward extending extremities ofwhich, a U-shaped carrierreceiving frame 29 is integrally connected. The crotch or transverseportion 30 of this frame 29 is engaged by. the rear or butt end of thecarrier 31, that is when the carriage is in position -for dischargingthe carrier. The carrier may be any suitable construction, and made ofsheet'metal or of yany configuration, and is provided with aA hingeddoor or closure .32, there being suitable lockingmeans 33 for holdingthe door closed, that is after inserting the mail matter. The top of thecarrier is provided with/ suitable brackets 34 in bearings of lateralportions of which, suitable trolley -ride on trolley wire 36.

wheels 35 are journaled, so as to engage and This trolley wire isdesigned to extend from the farm gate adjacent the road-way to the frontporch or other suitable location of the farm house. In this case themail carrier discharging gun is at each end of the trolley wire. Bymeans of the braces 37 and 38 (which are connected to the frame bars asat 39), a pair of parallel bars 40 is supported intermediate the sidesof the housing 13. These bars 4() are integrally connected by thetransverse piece 4,1 which is provided with an eye 42. Secured betweenthe rear ends of the bars 40 is an upright plate 42', in which a screw43 is loosely mounted. A clevis member 44 is swivelly connected to theinner end of the screw 43, and to the clevis member one end of thetrolley wire is connected as at 45. A thumb nut 46 is threaded to thescrew, and it is obvious that by adjusting the thumb nut the trolleywire may be tightened, to insure the proper tension. It is also to benoted that the trolley wire passes under the transverse portions of thearched straps or braces 21 of the carriage,'whereby the carrier mayenter the carriage as shown .in Fig. 1.l Pivoted on a transverse pin 47which is mounted in the opposite parallel bars 40,l is a latch ortrigger 4S, between which and the eye 42 a 'spring 49 is connected,thereby holding the latch set against the transverse stop pin 50. A loopmember 51 is carried by the forward brace of the carriage, and extendsrearwardly beyond the carriage, there being a transverse bar 52connecting the opposite sides of the U-shaped member 51. This transversebar 52 braces the U-shaped member 51, and is spaced from the reartransverse portion of the loop 51, to provide an opening, for thereception of the latch or trigger, so as to hold the carriage setagainst the action of the spring 53, which connects between thecarriage, that is its forward brace 21, and an eye 54 of the transversebrace of the foremost arch brace 16 of the housing 13. It is obviousthat the spring 49 is of greater tension than the spring 513, and owingto the leverage action of the trigger or latch, the trigger will holdthe carriage inthe position shown in Fig. l against the action of thespring 53. However, by actuating the trigger or latch, the rear portionof the loop 51 will be released, and through the action of the spring53, the carriage will be moved forwardly with sufficient force, toimpart momentum suliiciently to the carrier, as to send it from the farmgate near the road-way to the farm house, and vice-versa. In order toactuate the trigger or latch a lever 56 is pivoted on a transverse pin57, which is carried by the bars 40, adjacent one of the bars, and isprovided at' its lower end with a lateral arm 58. This lateral arm 58`entends across the torwardcdgeof the lower lend of the trig` ger orlatch, `whereby as `pressure is applied to the lever` 56 at its upperend inthe `direction of the arrow c, the trigger or latch fwill beoscillated against the tension oit' the spring 49, soas to releaseitheloop 51 of the carriage.` i Pivoted to a dependingarm 59 ot one of thebars Ll() is an angular lever 60,

and it is to be observed that thel arm 61 of said lever is formed into`a loop, thearm 62 `of which is pivoted at 63to a dependingarm `Get ofthe opposite bar` l-0. .Itis to beobserved that the pivot 63 isaxiallylopposite the pivot oit the lever. The loop `of the anni 6lstraddles `the two bars 40,."andthe loop end thereoi2 is provided with alug 65. It `is to be noted that when the carriage is` released andallowed to suddenlyspring forward under the actionof spring 53, thetransverse bar .52 will assume a position a short distance to therearofthe lue or ro.-`

. ii. 'c3 i jection 6.5. Thereforeit is obvious that to reset fthecarriage against the action ofthe ha t3 lvlounted between the upper andlower rails of the tracks are bulier members 66, which are provided`with rubber bumpers 67. The buHer members 66 have connected theretostems or rods 68, the rear ends of which are guided in openings 69 otthe rear upright connections 70 between the upper and lower rails of thetracks. lt is to be observed that the legs of the T rails arecut away ashort distance to the rear of the upright connections 70, and secured tothe stems or rods 68 by the pins 7l are collars 72. interposed betweenthe collars 72 and the rear uprights 70, and surrounding the stems orrods are coil springs 73, thereby holding the collars against the rearends of the legs of the T rails. It is clear that when the carriage isreleased and allowed to move forwardly under the action of the spring53, the impact will be so great against a stationary abutment, that theentire frame ot the machine will be considerably jaifred, and constantstrains of this kind would,"V in a short while lessen the rigidity ofthe structure. Therefore, by the provision of the cushioning meanscomprising the buffers and the bumpers 67 against which the bumpers 27contact, the Jar incident` to the release of the carriage is reduced toa minimum there-` by extending the lite of the structure. Suit` ablebraces 74 connect between the supports l and Q, and certain of theintermediate metallic looped straps 9. Suitable brace rods 75 connectbetween the crotch of the arms 4 of the support l, and the legs 3 of thesupporta Similar tie rods 76 `connect; between the crotch ofthe arms flof the supi port 2 and the legs ot the support 1.

The invention having been set forth `what .is claimed as new and usefulis L- i l. ln a mail carrierdischarging gun, the

f s l l `combination `with `a supporting traine provided with parallelside guidetracks, ot a `carriage on said guide tracks, spring tensioningmeans ,.tlierefoi', a` trolley wire, a carrier `thereon and adapted tobe received `in said carriage, holdingmeans to holdithe `carriage setagainst the action ot .itsttensioning means. i

" 2. ln a mail carrier discharging gun, the conibinatioii with asupporting frame provided with parallelside guide tracks, ot a carriageon said guide tracks, spring tensioning means therefor7 a trolley wire,a

carrier thereon and adapted to` be received ,finlsaid carriage, `holdingmeans to holdthe carriage set against thefactioii `of its ten- LJ meanstorelease the carriage. i i i i 3. In a mail carrier discharging gunthecombination with a supporting frame provided with parallel side guidetracks, of a carriage on said guide tracks, spring tenisioningmeaiis,means to actuate the holding Hsioningmeans therefor, `a trolley wire, `acarrier thereon and adapted to be received in said carriage, holdingmeans to hold the carriage set against the action of its ten- `sioningmeans, means to actuate the holding means to release the carriage, andmeans for resetting a member of the carriage in engagement with theholding means.

In a mail carrier discharging gun, the combination with a trame providedwith side guide tracks, ot a trolleywire connected to the trame, a mailcarrier on said wire, a spring tensioned carriage on the tracks toreceive the carrier whereby it may be dis- I the loop.

5. In a mail carrier discharging gun, the combination with a frameprovided with side guide tracks, of a trolley wire connected `to thetrame, a mail carrier on` said wire, a

spring tensioned carriage on the tracks to receive the carrier wherebyit"may be discharged, said carriage having a rearwardly extending loopmember, a springtensioned device to engage the loop member to hold thecarriage set against the action of its spring tensioning means, and apivoted lever for actuating said device to release the loop, andcushioning means carried by the tracks for the carriage, for taking upthe impact of the blow of the carriage.

6. In a mail carrier discharging gun, the

combination with a frame provided with side guide tracks, of a trolleywire connected to the frame, a spring tensioned trigger on said frame, acarriage on the guide track and provided with means to engage saidtrigger, spring means for the carriage, a carrier on the trolley wire tobe received in said carriage, and a device to engage a part *of thelfirst means, whereby saidirst means may be placed in engagement withthe trigger.` i v -7. In a mail carrier discharging gun, the combinationwith a frame provided with side guide tracks, of a trolley wireconnected to the frame, a spring tensioned trigger onr said frame, acarriage on the guide track and provided with means to engage saidtrigger, spring means for the carriage, a carrier on ythe trolley wireto be received in said carriage, and a device to engage a part of thefirst means, .whereby said first means may be placed in engagement withthe trigger, a device to actuate said trigger for releasing said means,and cushioning means to absorb the impact of the blow of the carriagesubsequently to its release.

8. In a mail carrier discharging gun, the

combination with a frame, of side parallel guide tracks on said frame,said tracks comprising upper and lower spaced T-rails, means for holdingthe rails spaced, a housing connected to said means and arching from oneside track to the opposite one, a

trolley wire connected to the frame, a carriage on the guide track, acarrier on the trolley wire to be received in said carriage, a loopextending rearwardly from the carriage, spring tensioned holding meansto be engaged by the loop, spring means for the carriage, against whichthe holding means holds the carriage set, a lever to actuate the holdingmeans to release the loop, cushioning means orthe carriage to absorb theimpact ot the blow thereof incident to the release, and a lever toengagea part of the loop for resetting the same in engagement with the holdingmeans.

In testimony whereof I have Signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARNOLD LUTSCHG.

Witnesses:

FRANK E'. WELLS, HERMAN LUTsoHG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for' ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

